A passive optical network (PON) is one system for providing network access over “the last mile.” The PON is a point-to-multi-point (P2MP) network comprised of an optical line terminal (OLT) at the central office, an optical distribution network (ODN), and a plurality of optical network units (ONUs) at the customer premises. In some PON systems, such as Gigabit PON (GPON) systems, downstream data is broadcasted at about 2.5 Gigabits per second (Gbps) while upstream data is transmitted at about 1.25 Gbps. Further, some PON systems, such as Ethernet PON (EPON) systems, may support Ethernet technology. Ethernet technology is widely used for transporting data in a plurality of networks because of its relatively simple implementation and available equipment. However, Ethernet technology lacks some advanced features for current and desirable network operations, such as some operation, administration, and maintenance (OAM) features.